December Flipbook: What we've been up to

Art Gallery Questions: What is that? 

(First Thursday Night, Downtown Cola.)

2013 Channukah Photo: The best of the lot... 

 New Hat for Baby! 

Singing: Botanical Gardens Cola

 Hanging out in the cold:

  (this was actually the last week of Nov...)

Doing School:

 Going Pop-up-Camping at Apostle Israel's 

(Signal Mountain, Tenn) 

I got to ride a horse!

Happy Fall Ya'll

Daddy's Birthday Fun

Little Lego Lovers

Perspective

8:00 tonight...

The First of the Month Post:

Riding in the car, overheard from eldest son:

"Sunsets are like a present from the sun right before bedtime."

N.: For as rowdy as he can be, he is such a lover. Twice today he came up hugged my thigh and told me, "I love you, mommy!" And i have no worry with leaving baby in a room with my sweet middle child. He is amazingly gentle with his baby brother, whom he also "loves a lot." 

We are super proud of L. for being excited about reading! He has successfully read the first 4 books in the 'Bob Books'. The independence and pride just shines in his face when he proclaims... "I can read now!" I keep telling him, when he can read he can learn anything!  I'm super proud of that kid! 

Latest imagination inspiration:

My sewing nook transforms into a space shuttle. seriously. the (mild) paper cutter is the throttle, a random felt circle the 'on button', and of course our helmets, gravity boots are found on the book shelf. 

Watch out for when the french doors are closed... there may be aliens about! 

Baby E. is one month old today.  Weighing in at 10 lb 1 oz. 

He spends lots of time sleeping, a moderate amount of time awake and quite a few minutes making more dirty diapers. He's creaky, like an old door... grunts a lot.. and still is a curly ball of newborn sweetness. 

Newest trick.... front and back flips and spins and 'rolling like worms' on the BIG trampoline... 

On moving to the new house: 

The kids have adjusted fairly well. However to sum it up succinctly, L told me the other day, "Mama, I don't have any friends anymore." As that may sound like a gross overestimation, in fact this is close to true. See, he's a social kid. Before we moved he practically lived in the park- everyday, all day. And since we moved the three families he palled around with have also scattered to the wind. Thus his world has shrunk and sadly to this sweet little 5 year old, he has no friends. 

Now that I am back on my feet after having baby #3, I have promised myself to plan playdates with friends as often as I can. Thankfully over the last week and a half we have met friends at the zoo, had friends over to play and have visited the college playground and walked around campus twice. Our social network just simply became a little more widespread. In time we will have routine and friends again. 

I love my kids.

Dreaming

Biggest fans...

Six Days Fresh

My Sunshine On A Rainy July Day..

E's arrival:

I had been insisting for weeks, in spite of baby boy #3's due date being July 11, that he would in fact come in June.  The end of the month crept closer and closer and my body was having LOTS preparing contractions/surges. The plan was to have a lovely baby shower on June 30th in the morning, therefore I gave him ample warning... come before then, or after, but please not on the 30th.  The morning of the 30th arrives, with a good nights rest behind us, the normal Braxton Hicks were active during breakfast, however I had another telling sign... told hubby and my midwife... but I knew he wouldn't be there in the next few hours so I enjoyed a lovely baby shower with all my dear friends, all the while secretly in the early stages of labor.

While the boys played in the pool, my afternoon held a lovely nap at my moms house. During the nap the surges continued in a pattern confirming the labor was commencing! In order to help this process along, our family of four stopped at the (cringe) mall- for the kids to have a little more indoor play and mommy could make serious business of walking! By the time I walked from one end around the edges completely to the other end where the kids and daddy were I gave Steve the 'look' of "yeah, I'm ready to be home now..." So of course we took the extra half hour to walk to the food court and feed the boys some sort of Asian fare. And then we drove home.  

To this point I really was comfortable but aware of the shift of energy in my body, but completely comfortable and not in pain.

We rallied the two helpers who would attend us and shortly they were at our home.  I cranked my favorite band and danced around the house while my mom put the boys through the bedtime routine, and my sister and husband chatted and readied the birth pool. When the children were asleep, we changed to my more subtle birth playlist. At approximately 9 pm my surges were bringing me to a place of concentration and focus but I was surprisingly 'human' in between each. I enjoyed walking around and talking as normal between them.

At 10:30 my midwife and friend arrived, I suggested that she check my progress. As a midwife it was no surprise to me that I was dilated 5-6 cm. Almost as clockwork, my contractions picked up in pressure intensity. I worked through each using a variety of techniques: TKM, hypnobirthing visualizations, counting and spiraling my mid-section. It was amazing the difference a positive mindset and attitude had to bring me to a place of 'mind over matter' in labor. I remember between surges wandering over to my mom and musing to her it 'wasn't hurting, just lots of pressure.'

At this point I was having closer and stronger surges- knowing when I entered the water I would be ready to push, I allowed myself three contractions more to 'work up to it mentally'.  When I stepped in at 1130pm I wasn't sure I was ready, but guided with love I sank in the warm water and immediately relaxed all of my muscles! My body enjoyed a time of rest just limply floating in the pool supported by my hubby, for about fifteen or twenty minutes. As I was enjoying my rest before the culmination of all the work my little Peanut, once again, had the hiccups. The top of the water was jumping with each of his little hiccups!

As I relaxed I watched the clock on my kitchen wall. Noting that we were getting very close to midnight, I chided: 'Little turkey! He is just waiting for July!' Moments later, the surges returned and I doubted my ability to cope, the pulling and pressure was great- even completely limp and relaxed in the warm water... we were close. I continued to talk to my baby and continually prayed! I felt his position change with each of the remaining three contractions. I was the first to touch him as he entered this world and with a shout of... um... victory(?) he was born! I felt pure elation and praise to Yahweh who gave us our son at 00:01 July 1st!

July 1st, 2013 00:01

Weight 6lb 14 oz 

20 inches Long

Looking back: 38 weeks in review

No, I won't go week by week... but I want to record the events and my experience of this pregnancy... lest I forget the sweet little details all too quickly.

So, I thought it was girl.. for the first 20 weeks. Yup. Dead SET it was a girl, actually. (Son, I'm sorry, I love you for being you!)  The first trimester, knocked. my. socks. off. Maybe it was because we had two older boys. I felt much more tired, ate a ton of cheese and drank a lot of milk. Pimento cheese to be specific (with baby #2 it was eggs over easy on buttered toast- which were a no go this time around interestingly enough...)  Also, in december I tore some ab muscles, neigh unto herniation, that made life a little more difficult. Last week of December Steve made the decision to start seminary in January, and we enjoyed a 'three births in one weekend extravaganza'...(sarcasm is a gift...)

We got an ultrasound at 20 weeks. And yup, not a girl. The scene played out like this...
Me: "WHAT was that circle....?"
Dr.: "That was a scrotum, I believe." said poor unsuspecting Doctor
Me: " What? Are you kidding me? OH my gosh? What are we going to do with another boy???? (Crying and Laughing)"
(Doctor watching me, not sure if i was happy or not...) "Let me make sure..."

...15 mins later still searching for bits and pieces....
Me: Patting my tummy/the baby's behind, "Look, baby,  am so sorry I scared you! I was just surprised... I love you soooo much, everything is ok...so show us the goods!"
and bam... knees parted and viola... we had a visual on boy bits and pieces!
snap! print! proof...

Second trimester was good. We made the decision to move back into our house and lined up the details on this. Steve enjoyed his first semester as a student. We ate in the cafeteria frequently, enjoyed walking through the woods to campus, and the boys played in the park all day. These were the days...

Early May I delivered two clients babies back to back, one on time and one 36 weeks/early. Both very special and unique.. (with 36 weeks think: in the back of the ambulance...) These two births concluded my obligations to work and allowed me to focus on being pregnant and moving our family to our new diggs. (Our 'New Old' home.)

May 20th we moved. It was not a torturous event, but it definitely called for changes in our schedules and flexibility.

The following weeks we unpacked and tried to adjust to a new space. My husband is an organizer of sorts and I am a planner of sorts. It can be difficult at times, but we're in!

Family Jam

Folly Beach Play

Charleston Family Photoshoot

Fathers Day 2013

Happy Father's Day to the BEST Father ever,

Love, 

L, N & Baby E 

32 Weeks Pregnant with Baby Boy #3

~

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Just Today...

Chicken Photo shoot:

Murray strutting his stuff....

And making a racket...

...and the cutest little boy feeding watermelon to Chloe the bunny!

Mothers Day 2013

A recap of my day:

sleeping in til 830...
re-toasted pancakes...
hubs sharpening a kitchen knife...

a shower...

food prep for family get together...
two dressed kiddos and one potty accident...
sweet tea AND Dr. pepper...
grilling...
chicken photo-shoot....
swimming... (brrrr)
watermelon...
packing a bookshelf...
plum worn out kids...
jazzy music to surf the web to...
thin mint cookies with my man...

= a good good day

Spring 2013